Update: Farm Bureau sent a second cease and desist letter, if it is Farm Bureau, of course. Apparently Mr. Waide himself is behind this one: “The previous letter you received and this letter are authentic, authorized by Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation President.” In other words, Mr. Waide himself is probably behind this one. It ended: “If you refuse to remove the FARM BUREAU® mark from the blog, you will be subject to legal action under state and federal law.” My response was the same as written below and included state law. Copy of letter
Well, what do you know, I got someone’s attention. Someone purporting to be Mississippi Farm Bureau sent me a Cease and Desist Letter last night. I say purporting because it was not signed nor was any name such as an attorney listed. The letter states:
“It has come to our attention that you are using the FARM BUREAU® logo on your
website (http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/) without our express written permission.
Please note that we allow use of our logo only if we have granted express written
permission; see http://msfbins.com/disclaimer.asp. Such unauthorized use constitutes
trademark infringement and unfair competition under both federal and state laws. It
misleads consumers into believing that some association exists between you and Farm
Bureau; and it weakens the ability of the FARM BUREAU® mark and name to identify a
single source, namely, Farm Bureau.” Letter
Oh really? It does? Lets look at some law first. Federal law states:
“the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright.” 17 U.S.C. 107 link
FIND LINKS AND READ MORE AT Jackson Jambalaya
Animal Cruelty issue still needs work
David Waide, President
Mississippi Farm Bureau FederationMississippi Farm Bureau has taken quite a bit of criticism for opposing legislation which would make cruelty to dogs and cats a first offense felony. Farm Bureau is adamantly opposed to the cruelty, abuse, or mistreatment of any animals.
We are working diligently toward a solution to this problem. We did offer a compromise bill in both the House and Senate and supported that bill, but the bill did not make it through the legislative process. We did have the support of several other influential animal welfare groups. We will continue to work toward a solution to this problem as we move through the next session of the Legislature.
Animal activist spokespeople declare that the legislation that Farm Bureau was concerned about this year dealt only with cruelty to dogs and cats. Farm Bureau’s concern is that this type legislation will be used as a vehicle to open avenues for activists to extend their reach and push other, more extreme agendas.
The risk of their causing the discontinuation of practices that have proven to be humane and efficient methods for raising livestock on our farms is quite real. It has happened in at least four states across the country where this type legislation has already been enacted. In those states, livestock farmers are being driven out of business because of misconceptions by the public due to allegations levied by animal activist groups.
It is critical to our membership that our nation’s consumers continue to have an affordable, abundant supply of safe, domestically-produced food. Not all of us are agricultural producers, but everyone consumes agricultural products.
4/6/10
Magnolia Tribune
